


together or not at all

by SwiftyTheWriter



Series: February 13,1981 [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Awesome Luna Lovegood, Bad Dursleys, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Gen, Magical Adoption, Ravenclaw Harry Potter, Seer Luna Lovegood, Smart!Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 12:48:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10335065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwiftyTheWriter/pseuds/SwiftyTheWriter
Summary: For the longest time, the happiest thing about Harry’s life is his sister.





	

For the longest time, the happiest thing about Harry’s life is his sister.

They look nothing alike, (“Adopted,” Petunia Dursley spits. “Another freak.”) Where Harry is dark haired and bears a tan from hours working in the sun, Luna can only be described as pale, both in hair and coloring. While both of the siblings to an careful observer would be rather small and scrawny for their age, Luna is fine boned and almost fragile looking to her older brother.

They are odd children, the entire neighborhood knows this. Small and striking, their features cast them apart before they could speak. And it just got worse when they could. (“Have you heard the things that Potter girl comes up with? Gnomes ruined the garden beds. Oh, Petunia must be a saint to put up with them!”)

Always quiet. (They learned not to talk to others rather quickly.)

Always together. Never a squabble between those two like normal siblings. No, they were anything but. Budding delinquents was the popular opinion. And they way they tortured their poor cousin, Dudley. The Dursley’s were to be commended to taking those two in and trying to set them on the right path.

The poor Dursleys.

Luna and Harry sleep in one bed in the smallest bedroom in the house. It is filled with Cousin Dudley’s spare junk they are not allowed to touch and can only go in their room when the chores are done and they don’t complain because complaining is Bad and when one of them is Bad they have to stay in the cupboard and they’ll do Anything not to.

The cupboard is really the only punishment that the Dursley’s have found to be effective on Luna. Often times it seems like nothing affects Luna. Being yelled at by her “relatives” is made less frightening by the sheer number of Wrackspurt nesting in their heads and being punched by Dudley and his gang makes Harry more upset than her.

But once she was locked up in the cupboard for two whole weeks without being able to see her brother once-well, it wasn’t all that pleasant. When Luna was finally let out she sobbed in her brother’s arms for a good half hour.

* * *

 

Number 4 Privet Drive, 1988

“Why are you sad,” Luna asked him quietly. Harry was cleaning her scrapes and felt something in him clench when she didn’t even wince.

She was used to this. They both were.

“Dudley and his friends hurt you because I wasn’t strong enough to get away,” Harry told her softly. Luna let out a small sigh.

“You are not at blame for this, Harry.” She told him in a quiet but unusually firm voice. “And,” She hesitated. “You can’t always protect me, Harry.”

“I know,” Harry said, thinking about Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia and so many things he wanted to keep her safe from but couldn’t. “Doesn’t mean I won’t try, though.”

Luna smiled suddenly, “A Head always protects the rest of the House.” She told him in a wistful tone of voice.

Harry smiled, also. “And I’ll always protect you,” He agreed, “‘Cause you’re my family and I love you.”

“Promise,” Luna asked.

“Always,” Harry promised.

* * *

 

Luna’s special, Harry knows this, but not in the way the Dursley’s like to insist to whoever will listen. Luna Sees the world in a way that nobody else can. Luna Sees the truth. That’s why Harry believes her when she says there are pixies in the garden or that the Librarian is a vampire. Because Luna is always right, even if you can’t See it.

* * *

 

Number 4 Privet Drive, February 10, 1994

Once, and only once, Petunia Dursley told them how their parents died. “They were drunk,” She said bitterly. “They got into a car crash and they died.”

“No,” Luna said, all of six and her far away eyes suddenly cutting. “That’s not true. They were murdered by a magic man-” Luna was cut off.

Neither of them liked to dwell on what happened next. From there on out in the Dursley house the word “Magic” wasn’t allowed.

 

* * *

 

Number 4 Privet Drive, July 31, 1988

“What?” Harry cried in surprised delight as Luna held a small cupcake in her hand with a grin on her face.

“Happy eighth Birthday, Harry” Luna said in that singsong voice of her’s.

“How?” He asked, still gobsmacked. They had never had sweets on their birthdays.

“Magic, silly.” Luna’s smile was brilliant and he couldn’t help but smile along too. They split the treat and it was the best birthday he’d ever had.

 

* * *

 

In the year of 1980, when the seventh month died; two little boys were born that a very bad man wanted dead.

On February 15, 1981, Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood were murdered by death eaters two days after the birth of their first child. Custody of the last surviving member of the Lovegood estate, Luna, was granted to her godparents James and Lily Potter. She was officially adopted into the Potter House a week later.

On October 31, 1981, the Potter family was betrayed and a very bad man who called himself Lord Voldemort came to kill them. James Potter died defending his wife and children. Lily Potter died asking for her children to be spared. The man calling himself Lord Voldemort died when he tried to kill a one year old boy who stood shakily and stepped in front of his sister.

Not long after, A woman named Petunia Dursley screamed when she saw two infants left in a single basket, fast asleep on her porch.

* * *

 

Number 4 Privet Drive, September 1, 1981

“I still believe it would be for the best if they were separated,” The wizard named Albus Dumbledore said to the witch at his side, whilst looking down at the two sleeping children in the basket. “They would be safer.” The children gave no appearance they knew how utterly their life had changed and the world along with it.

Minerva Mcgonagall suppressed a sigh and told him once more, “James officially adopted her into the Potter House. You can’t tell me you can’t sense the binding magic. They’re family, Albus, by all but blood. You do not separate family such as this. Especially not now. Not after...” She trailed off, not able to go on.

Albus Dumbledore nodded gravely, “It is a just decision, Minerva. One, I think, their parents would approve of. I only can hope it is also the right one.”

* * *

 

After ten years have passed, when Harry’s Hogwarts letter comes it is not a surprise. He’s been expecting it for he and Luna have known what they were for years. They had run away for a weekend to London once they saved up the bus fare and found their way to the magical districts. One of which, included a library which was incredibly informative.

* * *

 

The Magic Library of Britain, January 2, 1989

“Apparently we’re famous,” Harry told his sister who was buried under a book on magical creatures.

In reply, Luna gave him The Look which made him feel as if he pointed out something completely obvious and dull like the color of the nearby doorknob. Harry paid her reaction no heed and continued to read aloud, “‘As the last surviving heirs of the Potter estate, Luna Lovegood-Potter and Harry Potter are the only ones known to have survived an attack led by He-who-should-not-be-named.

Reports also indicate that Harry Potter, the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter managed to survive a killing curse delivered by You-know-who himself making him the only known account. Due to his disappearance shortly after, Harry Potter is believed to be the one that vanquished the He-who-should-not-be-named.

He has been christened by the public as The Boy Who Lived for this miraculous feat.’” Harry paused. “Well that’s a load of crockery isn’t it? ‘The Boy Who Lived’ Who came up with that? Also why won’t they name whoever I apparently ‘vanquished’? This entire book is filled with “You-know-who” this and “What should never be mentioned” that. What’s the point of writing a book if you’re just going to censor information?”

Luna just rolled her eyes. Her brother liked to monologue when it was just them. Best to let him get it all out.

“And why are we famous for surviving a murder attempt? That is a really depressing thing to make someone a celebrity over. And- hey! They know about my scar, it’s mentioned right here! That’s why people get weird-” Luna reached over and closed the book he was reading, putting another one on his lap.

Harry opened it, “Hogwarts Throughout The Ages.” Used to his sister’s antics, he didn’t question why she had put the book in his lap and quickly got engrossed.

“Hey, Luna,” He spoke up after an hour or so. What are you reading about?”

“Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks,” She said promptly. “Apparently they are very rare.”

Luna ran her fingers over the author’s names and felt herself looking for something even she couldn’t See. In a script ink it said by “Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood”.

* * *

 

When Harry’s Hogwarts letter comes he replies promptly. In a letter tied to the foot of a barn owl waiting outside he states in no uncertain terms that he is not attending Hogwarts without his sister. She will either attend with his year four months early of her eleventh birthday or he will attend one year late into the term.

The correspondence comes back briefly and politely, becoming less so as it went on with both parties refusing to budge. It ended up with two in person visits with a witch named Professor Mcgonagall and one by the school’s Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and several not so subtle threats to attend Durmstrang that the school board relented and Luna became the third ever age exception to attend Hogwarts.

It surprised no one involved when both Luna and Harry were put in Ravenclaw.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! I hope you have an amazing day! :):):)


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